We frequently get questions from parents seeking basic guidance on choosing a bicycle seat (and possibly a bike) for riding with a small child. This seems like it should be an easy task, but it can be surprisingly difficult to parse the compatibility issues that come up, and bike shops usually have only a paltry selection and minimal experience with which to offer advice. Most around here seem to carry only one or two low-weight-limit rear seats, and seem a bit mystified that there might even be other options available. Others try to heavily steer customers towards trailers, and while trailers can be great, especially for cargo or multiple children, for city street riding, a bike seat is a great option (and in my opinion, superior, though I know that’s a topic for debate). So, here we offer some general guidance for arranging for a basic set-up for one adult and one child. We’re not talking vast cargo capacity here, or anything fancy, just some things to think about for a parent trying to get off the ground biking with their young child.

In general, the first decision to be made is choosing between a front or rear mounted seat. Both have strengths and drawbacks.

Front Seats: Front seats are great, particularly for very young children. The child can see where he/she is going, the ride is smoother, and you can more easily assess how the child is doing and talk to them to keep them happy. Front seats allow you to easily wear a backpack to carry some kid stuff while riding, and if you need more space, the back of the bike is free for a rear rack or basket. The primary drawbacks are low weight limits (usually about 30 pounds, approximately age 3) and compatibility that can be quite dependent on exact bike type and adult rider size/shape. Here is a fabulous review of front seat options at totcycle, including a link to some important compatibility issues with the bobike mini.

Rear Seats: Strengths of rear seats are higher weight limits than front seats (though most are not as high as you might hope — American seats are usually around 40 pounds, approximately age 4), often (but not always) less finicky compatibility. Downsides are that it is harder to work out a way to carry stuff, because for most set ups, there’s not room for a backpack between you and your child, and rear seats are incompatible with rear racks or rear baskets. An easy and affordable solution to this is to use a front basket (like a Wald wire basket, commonly available at bike shops). You can’t carry a ton, but you can carry enough for a daycare drop-off or short outing. Rear seats are also incompatible with trailer bikes, which can impact options down the line, though in researching this article, I did find this potentially fabulous contraption for hauling a child on his/her own bike and would still permit a rear child seat. I’d love to hear from anyone using it successfully, or anyone who knows of other ways to make a trailer-bike like set-up work with a rear child seat, as this is a really common need for parents with kids spaced a couple years apart.

If you are planning for the long haul, you can consider a European seat. These often have a higher weight limit (along with a higher price tag). We have the bobike maxi+ (50 lb limit, though not without compatibility issues, especially on a small bike frame) and have heard from another parent happy with the hamax. These will get you closer to an age where you might feel more comfortable with the child on a trailer bike. Finding these in the states can be a little tricky, but certainly not impossible. Also, Xtracycle recently came out with a 49 lb seat, the Peapod LT, specifically for long-tail bikes (Kona Ute or Xtracycle), but their instructions do allow for installation on a regular bike. The price tag isn’t cheap ($169), but it is less than the imported options, and since it’s a US company, there’s at least a chance it may be spared some of the compatibility issues common for US bikes. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s tried it on a “short” bike.

If, after considering your options, you decide to go even slightly off the beaten path (and I define the “beaten path” narrowly, pretty much just a copilot rear seat), and are starting from scratch (i.e. you don’t yet have an adult bike), I strongly recommend buying the child seat before the bike. This may seem counterintuitive, but bikes are easy to buy and try out locally, both used and new. Child seats are not, and they almost universally have major compatibility issues with some large subset of relatively normal bicycles, and such problems are virtually impossible to thoroughly research ahead of time. Particularly if you’re looking for a high weight limit seat or a front seat, you’ll likely end up ordering online anyway, and hassles with shipping a return and trying to research (again) what kind of seat will work for your bike, can really take the wind out of your sails. The only way to know for sure that a seat will fit your new bike is to take the seat to the bike shop or the used bike you’re checking out, and try to put it on.

Now, this isn’t an option if you already have a bike and are trying to find the right seat. In general, local bike shops do carry standard US rear mounted seats, so you should be able to try that option without too much trouble. If you want to try a seat that requires an online order, try to do your homework on compatibility (not necessarily an easy task), and make sure to order from someplace with great customer service and a good return policy. You may well need it. Another option is to try to get your LBS to order for you, which can support your local store and also provide you with good service, but your mileage may vary, since unfortunately many bike shops are just kind of clueless about riding with kids.

One last bit of gear advice for anyone riding with kids loaded on their bike: Get a Double Kickstand. The trickiest time biking with kids is getting them loaded and unloaded, and at least in our experience, those are the times we’ve come closest to falls. It’s worth it to fork over the cash to make your bike as stable as possible and just remember to keep that fancy kickstand if you ever sell the bike. We’re having decent luck with the Pletscher Double on a mountain bike, which we purchased on the advice of Totcycle and EcoVelo. It isn’t as rock steady as the kickback on our Xtra, but that’s asking a lot, and it is infinitely better than either no kickstand or a one-sided. We did need to get the “deluxe top plate” to get a really stable install.

Do you have a seat you love? A seat you hate? What worked for troubleshooting your rig? Have you found a particularly kid savvy bike shop (especially one in the Cambridge/Somerville area) or a fabulous affordable double kickstand? A compatibility problem you can warn others about? By all means speak up. We think about this stuff a lot, but have only ridden and/or installed a few of the options out there.

Do you ever feel like saying “just get an xtracycle”? It solves so many problems (mounting seats, carrying stuff, center stands). And, if people are put off by the weirdness of a FrankenBike, apparently Sun has announced a low-cost longtail-compatible cargo bike.

Well, of course I think xtra’s are great, but don’t kid yourself that going with a longbike spares you compatibility problems. Finding the right bike to extend can take work, and even the Peapod LT interferes with cargo capacity. There are now better out-of-the-box options (Radish, Big Dummy, Ute — there weren’t when we were shopping — Or rather, there was the BD but there was no way we could touch that price-wise) but how many folks can realistically justify dropping $1200-$2500 in one pop? Especially if they already have working bikes?

That said, if the Sun bike you link to pans out (is it really compatible with the Peapod LT? Looks like maybe if you can switch out that rear rack at the base for v-racks to get a flight deck on there, doesn’t look compatible with H-racks/footies. The drop through frame is a big improvement over Radish/BD/Ute) the price for a longbike plus kid seat would be more like $800-900. Not a small chunk of change, but a bit more accessible.

But as much as I love our Xtra and believe it was money well spent, I just don’t think it’s too much to ask to be able to easily slap a decent seat onto a bike you already own without going completely insane or broke.

Thanks for the article. I wish there was an article like this before we got the child seat last spring, but we’ve been doing well with the CoPilot. The main problem for me is hauling stuff. Do you know if the Wald baskets work with drop handlebars? I’d love to have a place to put the bike lock and a few odds & ends.

Carrying your stuff with a rear seat can be problematic. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were complications getting a wald basket with drops, but the small baskets might be OK. They are easily available, so you can actually take your bike to a shop and try it. You could also try a front rack, and either strap on a basket that fits, or use front panniers. Eco Velo has a nice tutorial for attaching a wooden basket: http://www.ecovelo.info/category/how-to/

If you’re open to straight bars or risers, then that simplifies things. I recently switched out my commuting road bike and haven’t looked back.

great overview of options! i’d just like to add something from personal experience with rear-mounted seats and an accident with a motor vehicle:

we have used rear-mounted seats exclusively, because of the higher weight limits (as you mention) and because we perceived that they would be safer in a crash. we didn’t like that the front-mounted seats leave the child exposed, with the potential to get seriously hurt in any kind of fall (granted, this was perception… not necessarily backed up by data). the rear mounted seats appear more like child carseats, in that they wrap around the child.

that perception became realized last year; i was rear-ended at low speed, causing the bike i was riding with my daughter (4 years old and about 40 lb at the time) to fall. luckily, it was a simple fall to the pavement at about 2-3 mph, with no additional contact with a moving vehicle! my immediate thought seconds after the fall was that my daughter was going to be seriously injured, but amazingly, she was practically unscathed! the seat (a european kettler “teddy” with a 50 lb limit) had held here securely with its 5-pount harness and foot straps, and the cocoon-like shell kept her legs and torso from even touching the ground. her head slammed the helmet, but of course she was wearing her helmet which did its job perfectly– it cracked right at the point of impact, protecting her head. the only evidence of injury was a scrape on her forhead.

although this is nothing more than anecdotal data, i was convinved that it was because my daughter was in a rear mounted seat that she avoided any serious injury. we promptly replaced the seat with another of the same model (my view is that once a protective device–like a carseat– is crashed, its ability to protect again may be compromised and should be replaced). she is now nearing the weight limit, so it’s time to move on to another method (we just bought a tandem).

our other rear-mounted carrier is a topeak child seat. we like both the kettler and the topeak, but for different reasons. each has its own strengths and deficits. they are very different in terms of installation and operation. the topeak fits a broader range of bikes than the kettler, but is only rated to 40 lb and doesn’t have as nice a suspension as the kettler. the topeak is the brand that most bike shops carry, if they carry a child seat, so if you opt for a kettler, you’ll have to purchase it online and you’ll be on your own in terms of support. feel free to contact me for more info if interested.

liam: wald baskets come in several sizes, and i’m fairly certain that some of the smaller ones would work with drop bars.

This is tremendously helpful! I’ve been trying to figure out what route to go once W can safely ride in a seat. We have a trailer, but hauling it out on a daily basis is NOT in the cards. I’ll be bike and seat shopping, as we only have road bikes at the moment, so your advice is so perfect! Now, to wait the 9.5 months until she can wear that helmet….(twiddles thumbs).

I laugh/weep at 30 lbs/3 years and 40 lbs/4 years. But I know my kid is a giant. He’s happy with the trailer so I’ve stopped shopping for a seat since he wouldn’t have that much time left in one. Do test drive whatever you are thinking of buying because your kid may hate it. I fully expected T to hate the trailer because he doesn’t like having his vision obstructed but was astonished that he loved it. I guess his love of wheels won out!

Well — You have (absolutely lovely) giant children. Our first hit the 30# at 3 40# at 4 pretty much on the nose…but as always this varies considerably, which is one reason lower weight limits on rear seats, as well as the paltry options out there for young but large children are a problem.

As far as test riding, especially if working with young toddlers, remember that initial test rides may totally stink, even if something actually will be great a couple rides down the road, and initial rides with not-yet-acclimated toddlers can be frustratingly dominated by helmet-rebellion. For longer than we liked, we had something like a 10-15 minute cap on R’s patience with biking, and a 50/50 shot at a tolerable ride home. I’m pleased to report, he now asks to get on the bike when he sees it, and we’ve had several 20+ minute trips that were pleasant in both directions (knock wood…)

I may be mistaken, but I seem to remember having both our Burley trailer and Copilot bike seat installed at the same time. The trailer attached to the axle, not to the seat post.

One issue I’ve had with both front and rear-mounted kid seats is that neither of them are ideal for sleeping little ones (not enough head support). I’ve seen some models of rear-mounted seats that recline for napping: seems like a brilliant idea.

I have a dutch baby seat on the rear-rack of my bakfiets (dutch cargo bike), but would love to find one with a much higher weight limit (the limit for the rear rack is 75 pounds), ideally something designed to hold an older kid (i.e. no buckles required).

Lex — Axle-mounted trailers and rear seats aren’t a compatibility problem, so you likely recall correctly. It’s trailer bikes (that attach over the top of the rear wheel to the seat post (or rear rack if you are lucky enough to have a burley piccolo) that are the problem — and this is pretty unfortunate since so many folks (like us) have a kid the right age for a trailer-bike, and another perfectly sized for a rear seat. The Follow-Me tandem coupling gets around this nicely as it attaches to the axle, but it isn’t cheap ($400).

And yes, napping can be a problem. Our wooden seat stinks for sleeping kids, but some of the more all-encompassing rear seats seem like they’d be better (I’d love to know the one you saw that reclined!). I know Julian takes napping into consideration in his review of front seats (most of which are not great for napping — I believe with the possible exception of the wee-ride)

Great post, Dorea. I agree about napping feeling dicey on bobike seats …

Lex – The (quite expensive) bobike junior might be a good choice for your older-kid-on-bakfiets-rack quest … I’ve also thought about putting a kids’ horse saddle back there

As for the Pletscher double kickstand, we still like it, and it seems to hold a bike or small child in front seat decently, but my wife did break ours trying to rock a bike with two kids on it up onto the stand. So I wouldn’t use it with a 2-kid “mamafiets” or bigger-kid-on-back. There are burlier centerstands out there, from Hebie and others.

it looked like a compelling alternative to the pletcher… at half the price! but i think i got what i paid for, as i find it wobbly and unstable. also, it won’t work on many bikes with derailleurs, including my tandem!

I’m currently using a PeaPod on a Kona Ute and highly recommend it. It’s quite adjustable to get the for-aft position right so that my daughter doesn’t have her head right on my tailbone.

I can also recommend the I-Bert for an early-age (i.e. low weight limit) front mounting seat. I concur w/ the idea of picking the seat first and then getting the bike. In the case of front mounting seats, a low-trail design is optimal. What I really loved about the I-Bert (and, to a large extent to PeaPod), is the really close proximity allowing easy conversation. When my daughter was 1, she was riding in the Ibert and we were riding along and she says “pumpkin” (in a toddler accent) as she sees the jack-0-lanterns out on doorsteps. She’d talk about things she’d see, signs, dogs, cars. It was awesome to see her taking it all in and hearing what she found most interesting.

With a 5 1/2 year old and a 3 year old I’ve really struggled to figure out a solution that will work for both. They’re too big to share most trailers and a Trail-A-Bike plus a trailer is too long to feel safe in most environments.

I too am excited about the Sun longtail because it would put cargobike capabilities down for a relatively reasonable price. I’ve also explored frankenstein long john cargo bike options (see links below) but haven’t been able to commit the time or $. I love the Yuba Mundo longtail but am attracted to the way long john style bikes keep the kids and their weight low.

My ideal situation would be a way to have a Trail-A-Bike for my older child and a PeaPod style seat for the younger, but they’re incompatible and my youngest is too heavy for a front seat.

I am looking for an option to use with my 5 year old. We’ve used a trailer with her since she turned 1 (we were basically weekend-ers then and new #2 was on the way) but now we bike much more extensively and there are places — like her school — that I would like to bike but a trailer is impractical because it would involve a stint on a bus or light rail to make the time commitment manageable. (We tried to take the trailer on light rail once — disaster!).

I’ve cut safety corners a couple of times and just had her ride on my cargo rack (she can ride her own 2-wheeler quite competently so balance is fine) but that was on “safe” streets and relatively short distances.

For what it is worth, I have a Giant hand-me-down. If I had confidence biking with her was going to be a multiple times a week (I can wish!), I would be willing to consider a new bike but I would prefer to find something that could work with the Giant.

The only seat I know of specifically for upwards of 5 years is the Bobike Junior and it is pricey. I don’t know about compatibility on that, but I bet the clever cycles guy could help with that. There are plenty of 50 lb limit seats out there, but an avg size 5.y.o. would be about to grow out of those, so they wouldn’t be worth the cost. Other than that, a long bike like an xtracycle or kona ute is great for this size of kid, but doesn’t fit on bus racks (though would be better than a trailer for fitting inside a subway or light rail car).

There may be some other seats out there (likely European) for this size of kid. Anyone know of any?

Thanks for the response…. I didn’t realize that the xtracycle free radical could be used to retrofit your old bike. I will be looking into that. We will both enjoy getting back on the bike for the commute if we can manage it!

I always let mine ride their balance bikes. We opted for Striders as they are so light and adjustable. Way safer as i once came off my bike with the toddler strapped in his bike seat and he is terrified of the back of my bike now

Thanks for all the tips, folks. I followed your suggestion and got a seat first and a bike after. I got the Kettler Teddy, and so far am happy with it. It was indeed tricky to install. But I like how easy it is to take on and off the bike, and it seems very stable for a 40 pounder.

Short of a long-tail, I’d love further suggestions/advice on getting the second kid attached to my bike at the same time. Anyone have any experience with the FollowMe Tandem coupler linked above?

So glad to hear about the successful install April (it’s nice when advice actually works!). How big is said second kid? The second-kid-with-rear seat issue is a big problem. If it’s an older kid, which I gather if you are considering a follow-me, then to my knowledge as that is your only option to tow a pedaling kid that’s compatible with a rear seat — and I’d also love to hear a first hand report if anyone has it. The other option is a trailer+rear seat combo, and this is a pretty common solution since trailers attach at the axle, but not great once the towed kid passes age 4-5 or so.

If, however, you are planning ahead, and wondering about a smaller kid, a front and rear seat combo can work. We’re considering the co-rider front seat (nice hefty 40 pound limit) — which we’d use along with a trailer bike (not a rear seat). Balance would be tricky with one in front and one in back, but do-able. Julian did something similar with bobike seats: http://totcycle.com/blog/bobiked-up-beyond-belief.html

We started out with a Co-pilot seat on my “mini-van” (Trek 3500 mountain bike) and switched just before Speedy turned 4 to a trail-a-bike. With child number two just 6 weeks away (and a little over a year from their first ride!) I’m already starting to wonder what we will do. I have a colleague who would use a tandem for her 5 year old (a strong biker much like my son) and attach a rack and rear seat to that but the idea makes me a little nervous in terms of balancing the weight.

For folks using rear seats, front panniers work really well if you don’t mind the dorky front rack!

This is an excellent post. Thanks for all the great advice!
I have the larger of the 2 Bell seats on the back. I am not crazy about it, but since it took my husband and I two days to install it on my bike with shocks (your seat first, bike later advice is right on), it’s what we are sticking with. My main problem with it is the straps, which can come out easily and don’t stay tight. They look the kind of thing a carseat would have from the 1980s; his booster seat has better straps and it’s not going anywhere. I also do not like the three loose screws that you use to attach the seat to the base (I have not lost them yet, but I know that day is coming…). In its defense, though, it’s much cheaper than any of the others discussed, is fairly protective on the back and the sides, and has some room for my skinny three year old to stash a water bottle or toy next to him on the seat. The straps are pretty ridiculous however.
In terms of front storage, i got this schwinn bag for my front handlebars. It can fit a lot of stuff, and it has a strap so you can take it with you inside, and means you have easy access to snacks, etc. for The Squawking One. It’s $15, too. http://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-Expanded-Bicycle-Handlebar-Bag/dp/B000DZBK9W btw, I went to a very nice bike store to find something like this and was told no one made front bags that big; then i found it online. not as cool-looking as a basket, but more practical for me.
My more ad-hoc strategies for extra storage — i keep a sort of string bag backpack thing in the front bag, and use it to carry overflow items. (I have found i can wear a backpack with him on the seat, it just has to be a small one). I also have a carabiner attached to the back of the bike seat which is great for hooking my son’s backpack onto or wet clothes. Again, so so far from cool, but eh.
How about one of these posts (in these dark days of winter) dedicated to lights and riding at night? how do folks light up their bikes and bike seats?

I have 3 and 6 year old boys, who are both taller and heavier than many kids a year older. We started out with the Burley Delite double trailer. We loved it. The child is very safe even if you completely wipe out. Another plus is that they can look at books and eat snacks during your ride. When my second child came along, it was hard to fit both of them in the trailer and it was increasingly more difficult to physically haul (I am not a very big female). So then we switched to the tag-along and a front child seat. We use the wee-ride and at first just cheap hand me down tag-along, and now I found a Burley Piccolo on craigslist:). This has worked out great. Now my younger son is almost too big for the front seat so I am looking for other options. We bike almost 3 miles each way to my sons school. He usually can ride his own bike, but if we are late or on busy roads I like having him with me. So we just purchased the Kona Ute (we are a single car family so the investment seemed reasonable). I have heard wonderful things about it. We took our first ride yesterday, 6 mile round trip. It felt very unstable and almost scary for me and the kids. My older son was in the back and my 3 year old was in a peapod seat. It felt as though I was doing a wheelie on steep hills. So my post is giving advise about the weeride and the piccolo (which I may add you can add paneers to the rack), but then I am seeking advise about this next stage of our bike commuting adventures. Does anyone have any recommendations for the Kona Ute? Is this something people just adjust and get used to? I have hauled both kids in the Burley trailer on really cold days lately and they stay super warm (and squished) but it felt much safer, although very strenuous to pull…

Big question: How do child bike seats and child bike trailers compare in terms of safety? I’ve been looking into trailers because it seems kind of dangerous to have a young child actually on the bike with you. What if you fall? Your child falls too! Please give me some advice. Thank you.

Sarah — I wish there were data to address this question, but to the best of my knowledge, there aren’t (readers, please speak up if you know better). Thus, we are left to our own best judgment as parents and bikers. Many folks claim trailers are much safer for exactly the reason you cite, and I would believe that for bike path riding, where you are protected from car traffic, but I dont’ believe it for city street riding, where you need to be extremely visible and nimble. I’ve ridden with both, and I feel my kids are much safer riding with a bike seat than a trailer on streets (my favorite is one kid on a nice stable long bike). Seat vs. Trailer is one debate, but there are some other options that might be arguably safer. A trike with kid seating in front for one (very visible and very stable, more compact than a low lying trailer). Here’s one of our older takes on bike safety: http://carfreecambridge.com/2008/08/but-is-it-safe/ And I really love this post at totcycle addressing safety of kids on bikes: http://totcycle.com/blog/is-family-cycling-safe.html

I was wondering if anyone had any advice about these two seats…I am not new to biking, but am new to commuting. We just recently moved closer to work and school and I’d like to take the kids to school on the bike. I have a 4yo and 6yo, both over 40lbs but under 50.

i just been looking on this site, my 3 yrs old love coming on bike with me but saddly he is now too heavy for the rear seat i have a panniers rack under the seat but only issue is i cant control the bike with too much weigh so dissappointed he been on it for 1 yrs old amost 2 year but now i have to find something for him he 3 and big boy cannot ride his bike yet is still trying trying to find something else for him and me to feel comfortable, im deaf so that another issue if he is in the trailer i wont be able to hear or see him would feel un safe for me i seen these seat u can get for the front but same again will i be able to manage?? if i cant manage with him on the back will i mange with him on the front?? it a trouble wen it come to the weigh and u loose ur balance it scarey, do any one know any others to try??? thanks

Howdy!
I’m planning on putting my 75lb German Shepherd in a bike trailer and the baby mounted on the bike. Should the baby be in the front or back? She’s about 23lbs now at 15 months old. We will be riding about 10 – 25 miles a day. Thank you!

I just put a Schwinn rear seat on my bike and plan on buying a double kickstand to help keep the bike from tipping sideways. My problem now is that the bike wants I tip backward if I don’t hold the front down. I have the seat installed as far forward as possible. Anyone have this problem and discover a solution?

Do you mean that the weight at the back is enough to lift the front wheel off the ground? (like if you are stopped at a light, if you don’t push down on the handlebars the bike will tip back). I don’t think we’ve had this problem, though our bikes do tip backwards (propped up on the double kickstand) once we have loaded a kid, and then after that, I am sitting on the seat, so I might not notice a backwards tip. Is this such a severe tip that the bike is difficult to control or is it more of a problem with loading/unloading?

About Us

We're the Vierling-Claassens: Angela, Nathan, H (born 6/06), and R (born 5/09). We live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and rely on bikes, public transit and our feet for transportation. We've been writing here about our carfree lifestyle since 2008.